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5 Times Dean & Sam Winchesters Were Worse Than The Monsters They Were Fighting

5 Times Dean & Sam Winchesters Were Worse Than The Monsters They Were Fighting
Image credit: The CW

Saving people, hunting things, the family business — the one Winchesters sometimes didn't know how to run.

Beloved by many for 15 years straight, Supernatural revolves around brothers Sam and Dean as they battle supernatural creatures. While the boys have saved the world more than a few times, a closer look at certain moments throughout the series may raise thought-provoking questions about their roles as protagonists.

Here are 5 times the Winchester brothers crossed the line a little too far.

5. When They Killed Innocents

In the earlier seasons of Supernatural, Sam and Dean were dedicated to saving the innocents from supernatural threats and keeping them safe. The introduction of Ruby's demon knife changed the course of events and led to the brothers often disregarding the lives of innocent hosts when dealing with demons.

4. When Sam Didn’t Look For Dean

Sam's questionable decisions in the early seasons got on our nerves from time to time, but we chalked it up to youth and demonic blood. But not looking for Dean in Purgatory or Kevin in Hell deserves no mercy. Despite Dean's history of survival and Kevin's vulnerability, Sam chooses to move on and lets his closest people vanish.

5 Times Dean & Sam Winchesters Were Worse Than The Monsters They Were Fighting - image 1

3. When They Forgot About Adam

Despite all the buzz about family values and the importance of brotherhood, the Winchesters ' treatment of their half-brother Adam in Supernatural season four is far from normal. After choosing to save Sam over Adam, Dean and Sam never make a serious attempt to save their brother. The whole line of another brother looked like the execution for making someone cannon fodder.

2. When Dean Killed the Death

While Dean's decision to kill Death for Sam's sake seems justified, the aftermath is more catastrophic for the rest of the world. In the season 10 finale of Supernatural, Dean's act sets off a chain of events, including the release of The Darkness due to the removal of the Mark of Cain, and leads to the release of Amara, a world-ending threat.

1. When They Used Their Significant Ones

Growing more numb with each season, Dean and Sam often disregard the struggles of their friends when seeking help, leading many of these allies to face fatal consequences. The pattern of using friends for their abilities, only to put them in danger, tarnishes the Winchesters' image and makes them worse than just morally complex characters.